Preview — Not Perfect
by Elizabeth LaBan

Not Perfect

From Elizabeth LaBan, the acclaimed author of The Restaurant Critic’s Wife, comes a captivating and very funny novel about a wife and mother’s fall from grace, and why keeping up appearances is not her biggest secret.

Tabitha Brewer wakes up one morning to find her husband gone, leaving her no way to support herself and their two children, never mind their upscale PhiladelpFrom Elizabeth LaBan, the acclaimed author of The Restaurant Critic’s Wife, comes a captivating and very funny novel about a wife and mother’s fall from grace, and why keeping up appearances is not her biggest secret.

Tabitha Brewer wakes up one morning to find her husband gone, leaving her no way to support herself and their two children, never mind their upscale Philadelphia lifestyle. She’d confess her situation to her friends—if it wasn’t for those dreadful words of warning in his goodbye note: “I’ll tell them what you did.”

Instead, she does her best to keep up appearances, even as months pass and she can barely put food on the table—much less replace a light bulb. While she looks for a job, she lives in fear that someone will see her stuffing toilet paper into her handbag or pinching basil from a neighbor’s window box.

Soon, blindsided by catastrophe, surprised by romance, and stunned by the kindness of a stranger, Tabitha realizes she can’t keep her secrets forever. Sooner or later, someone is bound to figure out that her life is far from perfect....more

This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[
She didn't do anything. Her husband just wrote that he would tell what she did to make her feel guilty. She thought she had killed her mother by…more
She didn't do anything. Her husband just wrote that he would tell what she did to make her feel guilty. She thought she had killed her mother by overdosing her with morphine but it was actually her husband who did it and she thought she might have killed someone who had a peanut allergy but it turns out she didn't. The book is a bit frustrating to read but the end is quite satisfying.(less)(hide spoiler)]

Community Reviews

While portions of the book were fine, overall this was not the book for me. The protagonist is highly unlikeable, making one bad decision after another. At times I wanted to reach into the book and shake her. Her husband has been gone for months, she is stealing food from restaurant buffets, but still she spends very little time trying to find a job (she doesn’t even have money to pay for lightbulbs so they are almost in the dark in their apartment). Then her daughter is at the hospital for a leWhile portions of the book were fine, overall this was not the book for me. The protagonist is highly unlikeable, making one bad decision after another. At times I wanted to reach into the book and shake her. Her husband has been gone for months, she is stealing food from restaurant buffets, but still she spends very little time trying to find a job (she doesn’t even have money to pay for lightbulbs so they are almost in the dark in their apartment). Then her daughter is at the hospital for a leg injury, and Tabitha is more worried about taking a phone call from a new guy she is interested in than she is about what is wrong with her daughter (?!?!). Her mother suffered from dementia before she died and whenever Tabitha reflects on their relationship she grumbles about how frustrating and annoying it had been to care for her. As someone personally dealing with that situation myself, I found that galling and beyond unkind and selfish. There was only so much of that I could take after a while. I did finish it because I was so curious where the husband had gone and what his threatening note meant. Sadly, the resolution was not worth the time spent reading the book to the end; it was a letdown to say the least. I realize that not every book appeals to everyone, but this certainly was not the book for me. I would look long and hard at the other Kindle First choices before I picked this one if you are thinking about this one as a Kindle First selection....more

This Kindle First pick intrigued me, Tabitha's husband disappears...and then what? It's not hard to imagine myself in the situation, but there's no way I would act that stupidly. She has a college education yet she can't seem to make the simplest of decisions. Any mother who ignores her daughter's medical symptoms because she can't afford the $20 copay (but has a credit card that she uses for the dumbest of reasons) deserves ire, not sympathy.

She's broke enough to steal condiments and toilet papThis Kindle First pick intrigued me, Tabitha's husband disappears...and then what? It's not hard to imagine myself in the situation, but there's no way I would act that stupidly. She has a college education yet she can't seem to make the simplest of decisions. Any mother who ignores her daughter's medical symptoms because she can't afford the $20 copay (but has a credit card that she uses for the dumbest of reasons) deserves ire, not sympathy.

She's broke enough to steal condiments and toilet paper from restaurants, shampoo/soap/conditioner from a hotel, herbs from a neighbor's window box. She fells bad for her kids, so she decides to splurge on pizza...to the tune of $84! Who spends that on pizza when they don't have money to replace light bulbs? She steals some money, and then she spends $30 on bagels. I could make $30 stretch for quite a few meals if I had to do it.

She wanders around the city while her kids are at school because she's bored, how about LOOKING FOR A JOB? Her husband has been gone for months, and she's putting forth a half-hearted effort at best.

I won't even go into the Nora/Toby stuff because it's too fairytale-esque to be even the tiniest bit believable. And in the end, it didn't even seem like Tabitha learned anything from the ordeal. I learned I have no patience for this woman!...more

Before I dive into this review, thank you Kindle Unlimited for recommending me this book. I only really looked at the cover and the title and thought.. why not?

Back to this book:

Not Perfect: A Novel is the perfect title for this book. Tabitha, the MC, is a terrible decision maker. Seriously, she is. So, her husband has been gone and the entire time I'm wondering.. GOOD FOR YOU BOO BOO. 'Cause this bitch is crazy.

Tabitha has noTabitha Tabitha Tabitha... WHY DO YOU CONSTANTLY MAKE BAD DECISIONS?

Before I dive into this review, thank you Kindle Unlimited for recommending me this book. I only really looked at the cover and the title and thought.. why not?

Back to this book:

Not Perfect: A Novel is the perfect title for this book. Tabitha, the MC, is a terrible decision maker. Seriously, she is. So, her husband has been gone and the entire time I'm wondering.. GOOD FOR YOU BOO BOO. 'Cause this bitch is crazy.

Tabitha has no job. She doesn't look for a job, at all. She steals foods from buffets. Also she basically doesn't care about her daughter being injured, her husband being gone, or you know having money because apparently she's more interested in this new guy.

If you're shaking your head right now while reading my review.. well you're not alone. I'm constantly shaking my head right now. Imagine reading the book people. If I had the actual book and no the kindle I would have thrown it against the wall, repeatedly.

I have so many bones to pick with freaking Tabitha that I don't want to mention them all because then I would have told you about the entire god damn book. I can't do it. I'm so freaking emotional right now, and that's the mad and frustrated kind.

I'm regretting that I picked this book on kindle but then I'm also not regretting it because I now know I wont ever read this book again. Ever....more

I thought this book was awful. I didn't like any of the characters, and I got angry at the main character, Tabitha, many times. Her husband, Stuart, has run off, and she doesn't have enough money to put food on the table for her two children. She knows that they're in a bad situation because her husband's paychecks are no longer being deposited to their account. She knows she needs to get a job, but she thinks she has the luxury of being picky about the kinds of jobs she will even apply for. SheI thought this book was awful. I didn't like any of the characters, and I got angry at the main character, Tabitha, many times. Her husband, Stuart, has run off, and she doesn't have enough money to put food on the table for her two children. She knows that they're in a bad situation because her husband's paychecks are no longer being deposited to their account. She knows she needs to get a job, but she thinks she has the luxury of being picky about the kinds of jobs she will even apply for. She also thinks it's more important that she get a job where she won't encounter anyone she knows than it is to make sure she has an income to buy food for her kids. She makes a show of worrying about her kids, but her choices reveal her selfishness.

One of Tabitha's coping mechanisms is stealing food from various sources, including restaurant buffets, (but it's okay because the restaurants will just throw it out). She keeps a list of all the places she stole from (except the restaurants) so she can supposedly pay it back someday. But at the end of the book, the message is that she can atone for her wrongs by adopting a "do-good" attitude instead of compensating the people she stole from. And she only "confesses" to her new boyfriend to make sure he'll love her even though she did some bad things.

At one point we learn that Stuart has left each child a note and $50 and has even given the younger child complicated instructions about how to call him. Of course, he has instructed both to say nothing to their mother. When we finally learn his story, we find that he's pretty despicable. He's been grieving the death of a former fiancee, but it's impossible to sympathize with him because of his selfishness and willingness to traumatize his children by his abandonment of them. He's also managed to spend all of the family's money, and in his grief, he has completely stopped working, which is why the deposits stopped. So he doesn't care whether his kids eat, either.

Finally, Tabitha's transformation into a "strong" woman is completely unbelievable and inconsistent with everything we've seen from her.

Really, the only good thing is that I'm done with this book and will never read it again. I don't recommend that anyone else waste their time on it either. Not a good read....more

See the picture on the cover? It’s Tabitha, embarrassed by all the stupid and illegal stuff she did. Oh, this one is unbelievable! Tabithas husband leaves her. She has no job and two young children. But she doesn’t tell anyone, not even the kids, what happened. Daddy is in a long business trip. She also does not get a job.

So when the money runs out after a few months, she starts stealing food from anywhere they offer a free meal. She has the mega purse and baggies to put stuff in. If that werenSee the picture on the cover? It’s Tabitha, embarrassed by all the stupid and illegal stuff she did. Oh, this one is unbelievable! Tabithas husband leaves her. She has no job and two young children. But she doesn’t tell anyone, not even the kids, what happened. Daddy is in a long business trip. She also does not get a job.

So when the money runs out after a few months, she starts stealing food from anywhere they offer a free meal. She has the mega purse and baggies to put stuff in. If that weren’t bad enough, she meets an elderly lady who has a jar full of money in her bathroom. So Tabitha helps herself! More than once.

I cannot find redeeming qualities in Tabitha. Her husband is a lawyer. I’m sure they must have some joint savings account or retirement account. The whole thing just made me weary. ...more

On one level, this book works well. It's a well written story of a woman who falls apart when her husband leaves, a whisper of a threat in his goodbye note. She's paralyzed by fear of what she has done being discovered - a vague looming black cloud for most of the book, slowly revealed. She's handicapped as well by her pride, not wanting anyone she knows to see her doing anything she shouldn't, while she steals food to feed her children. Late in the book, we see her husbaFrustrating Imperfection

On one level, this book works well. It's a well written story of a woman who falls apart when her husband leaves, a whisper of a threat in his goodbye note. She's paralyzed by fear of what she has done being discovered - a vague looming black cloud for most of the book, slowly revealed. She's handicapped as well by her pride, not wanting anyone she knows to see her doing anything she shouldn't, while she steals food to feed her children. Late in the book, we see her husband's collapse as well, further explaining the empty bank account necessitating such drastic measures.

Yet, if times are so difficult, suck up the pride. Get a job. Get two if one's not enough. Find a food bank. Fight to survive instead of being a whiny, self-centered twit more concerned with a new beau than your malnourished children, now physically suffering from your poor choices.

Relationships in the book are conveniently played out, the two strangers she meets obviously linked, her former friends not noticing or caring enough to help - or being allowed to. She walked away from the first job she applied for, though they clearly would have hired her on the spot. The children seem more an inconvenience than a priority, as did her mother.

The writing is solid, the book flows well, but the primary characters and their choices range from incomprehensible to just unlikeable....more

The premise of this one struck a chord with me right away I wondered what I would do if I were in Tabitha’s shoes? Would I pretend just to save face? Would I keep it quiet like she did and try to save my pride? Now I have no secrets my own husband could threaten me with, but the fact that if my husband did disappear I would be totally screwed both terrifies me and piques my curiosity. While I’m pretty confident I wouldn’t even think of doing half of what Tabitha did, I still found myself engagedThe premise of this one struck a chord with me right away I wondered what I would do if I were in Tabitha’s shoes? Would I pretend just to save face? Would I keep it quiet like she did and try to save my pride? Now I have no secrets my own husband could threaten me with, but the fact that if my husband did disappear I would be totally screwed both terrifies me and piques my curiosity. While I’m pretty confident I wouldn’t even think of doing half of what Tabitha did, I still found myself engaged in her story.

I really sympathized for Tabitha but at the same time I can’t say that I honestly liked her. There was something about her that was off putting, she doesn’t make it easy to like her but as a mom I could sense her desperation to provide for her family even if that means making several questionable decisions. I did have to suspend my disbelief because a woman in her situation would most likely not try and complicate her life further by getting involved in a romance, but it did make the book a little more fun!

This had a nice balance between the funny and the serious, there was an emotional component, especially in regards to Tabitha’s kids that hurt my heart. LaBan’s writing style is fluid and easy, I read this really fast, it was one of those reads you can get lost in because the story is so entertaining in a watching a train wreck kind of way. I was craving a lighter read and this delivered exactly that, if you don’t take it too seriously this is one to spend a weekend afternoon with.

I can't believe I trudged through this one. Tabitha has to be the most idiotic character I've ever read about. Get. A. Job. Seriously....not a hard concept. She sure wouldn't win mother of the year...sheesh

When I read about this book, it sounded interesting plus I have a few friends that read The Restaurant Critic's WIfe and loved it. It is hard to know just where to start with this one since I dsliked it on so many levels.

Tabitha is married to a lawyer. Her husband, Stuart has opened his own practice and is working with miners in the Upper Pennisula in Michigan. He is gone for days at a time and she serves as a single parent to their two children. Things go along in a routine until one day StuarWhen I read about this book, it sounded interesting plus I have a few friends that read The Restaurant Critic's WIfe and loved it. It is hard to know just where to start with this one since I dsliked it on so many levels.

Tabitha is married to a lawyer. Her husband, Stuart has opened his own practice and is working with miners in the Upper Pennisula in Michigan. He is gone for days at a time and she serves as a single parent to their two children. Things go along in a routine until one day Stuart just disappears. They had words the evening before but not something that Tabitha thought would ever cause him to leave. She tries to text and call him but he never answers and the phone usually goes right to voice mail. She has no money because money is not being added to their joint account. She is reduced to stealing toilet paper from restaurant bathrooms, shampoos and soaps from a housekeeping cart in a hotel where she has a meeting and basil from a neighbor's windowbox. She is scrapping together things for her kids to eat and pretending that life is the same as always. Bet she never served toast with a special oil on it for dinner before Stuart left! Her kids are in 3rd and 7th grade and she thinks that they don't think that anything has changed. She knows she needs a job and yet her search for employment is a halfhearted attempt, if that. She goes to a Michigan State football event at a nearby bar with the purpose of taking food off the buffet for her kids' dinner. She meets Toby and spends some of her time throughout the novel trying to meet up with him since she finds herself attracted to him.

The entire storyline is just so far fetched and Tabitha is such a totally hateful, unrelatable character that the book is a pure loser. Not sure how the author went so far from writing a book that others really liked to one that I am surprised was ever published. I can only say that I would not recomment spending time amongst these pages when there are far better ones waiting to be turned....more

Tabitha Brewer has a lot of problems. Her husband Stuart has disappeared without a trace, leaving her unable to support herself and her two children in the upper-middle-class lifestyle to which they’re accustomed. Tabitha is trying to find a job, but in the meantime, her life becomes a tangled web of secrets and lies as she tries to hide her husband’s apparent abandonment from everyone around her, including her children.

I keep wanting to call this novel “Gone Boy” even though it’s not a thrillerTabitha Brewer has a lot of problems. Her husband Stuart has disappeared without a trace, leaving her unable to support herself and her two children in the upper-middle-class lifestyle to which they’re accustomed. Tabitha is trying to find a job, but in the meantime, her life becomes a tangled web of secrets and lies as she tries to hide her husband’s apparent abandonment from everyone around her, including her children.

I keep wanting to call this novel “Gone Boy” even though it’s not a thriller in the same way that “Gone Girl” is, and the focus is on the people left behind, not the one who disappears (though his disappearance is fully explained by the end). LaBan does an expert job of planting clues about Stuart’s disappearance, but the story is really about Tabitha learning about herself and what she really wants instead of the apparently perfect life she had before her husband left. LaBan’s expertise is also apparent in Tabitha’s character: it would be easy not to sympathize with a woman who’s lived such a privileged life, but her desperate attempts to find ways of stretching her remaining budget are both entertaining and understandable. She’s definitely not the perfect wife or mother, but her selfish moments made her a three-dimensional character. Some scenes are laugh-out-loud funny (watch for a Chinese restaurant scene involving Beef Chow Fun), and others are deeply moving. I found myself thinking of Tabitha as a friend and rooting for her throughout the novel, hoping she’d find her happy ending.

An intriguing read that explores why we feel the need to keep up appearances, how well we know ourselves and our loved ones, and the importance of forgiveness....more

Tabitha Brewer is a hot mess. One by one the light bulbs are dying and she can't replace them, the fridge is empty, each time she uses her phone she wonders if it will be shut off, because Netflix and cable have, her credit cards are close to maxed out and she has less than $100 in her bank account with no means to add more any time soon, her daughter needs new shoes and a doctor, the pricey private school her children attend keeps asking her to provide snacks and other help. All things she prevTabitha Brewer is a hot mess. One by one the light bulbs are dying and she can't replace them, the fridge is empty, each time she uses her phone she wonders if it will be shut off, because Netflix and cable have, her credit cards are close to maxed out and she has less than $100 in her bank account with no means to add more any time soon, her daughter needs new shoes and a doctor, the pricey private school her children attend keeps asking her to provide snacks and other help. All things she previously gave no thought to but her husband has walked out in the middle of the night, leaving her with virtually no money and no way to contact him. For months she's been as frugal and creative as she can possible be but disaster is looming and she knows it. Tabitha is not only falling short of perfect she is in serious trouble as she tries to keep up appearances so that no one, not her best friend or her children or her rabbi, have any idea about her situation. She's trying to find a job but is so afraid of what others will think that she limits her applications to jobs in places no one will ever recognize her. She is scared her husband isn't coming back and wonders if he will follow through on a threat in his good bye note. She makes some far from perfect choices, some of the worst are failures to take any kind of action, but I gotta give her props for creativity as she finds some unconventional means to keep her children fed.

She is also super frustrating at times. If you were truly worried about your kids going hungry and you learned that a nearby coffee shop gave away the day's leftovers would you not contrive be there every single day? I cannot imagine being so bound by keeping appearances that I would behave this way but then I don't really have any appearances to keep up nor do I live in a place where your address, where you shop or the brand of my hand bag matters to anyone. But that IS Tabitha's world and she does some stupid things to try to hang on to it.

Tabitha is, right now, my favorite unreliable narrator in a summer of books that seemed filled with unreliable narrators. Sure, there are times you want to yell at her and times you gasp and cringe at her actions (or inaction) but I liked how the story unfolded. I liked her increasingly desperate attempts to keep things afloat without actually telling anyone what is going on. The lists she keeps of lies she's told and people and things she needs to pay back. There are some sweet and tender moments in the story. I loved it when she quietly lost it in the produce section at the grocery store because the cashier kindly asked how she was because she hadn't been in for quite awhile .... sometimes it is those little kindnesses that are our undoing. It takes her awhile but she gets the wake up call she needs and takes some real action. There are a convenient coincidence in the conclusion but while somewhat improbable I found it kind of sweet. I liked this book and hope happy things for Tabitha as she goes forward in life with a new maturity she didn't even really know she needed.

Lotta people seem to either love or hate this book and I can understand both reactions. I'm happily planted right in the middle, three plus stars. ...more

This novel explores a crumbling marriage and how the wife survives after being abandoned by her husband. It begins by detailing a list the wife is keeping of the things she has stolen to survive. At first, she is taking simple necessities like food to feed herself and her two children. The absentee husband appears to be still paying the monthly bills, but he isn't sending money to cover food and incidentals.

We know this family is affluent because the children attend an expensive private school.This novel explores a crumbling marriage and how the wife survives after being abandoned by her husband. It begins by detailing a list the wife is keeping of the things she has stolen to survive. At first, she is taking simple necessities like food to feed herself and her two children. The absentee husband appears to be still paying the monthly bills, but he isn't sending money to cover food and incidentals.

We know this family is affluent because the children attend an expensive private school. A sensible person would immediately question the thefts and wonder why she didn't turn to her family or wealthy friends for help. Apparently, she's too proud to reveal her life is not perfect. At one point in the book, she gives a pair of her husband's gold cuff links to a homeless man. Couldn't she have pawned them and other valuables for grocery money? She can steal from an old lady, but she can't sell her wedding ring or ask her friends for food? Excuse me for pointing out another obvious point- You can pay for groceries with a credit card. You can check the status of a credit card and track credit card payments online.

When the husband, who left means for his daughter to contact him, but not his wife and son . . . when this coward finally resurfaces, you want to punch him in his selfish face for making his family suffer. No mother wants to worry about health insurance/medical bills when her children are injured.

This novel painfully illustrates why every woman should have a degree or some type of certification. Every woman needs her own nest egg or rainy day fund. It is wonderful to be a stay-at-home mom, but should the need arise, it's even better to be able to provide for yourself and your children. ...more

I downloaded this one from the January First Reads on Amazon. None of the First Reads ever really catch my attention, plus it pisses me off that they’ll choose a children’s book over a romance, but I digress. This one sounded kind of interesting but in the end it was not for me.

Tabitha is a horrible person. She does nothing but lie and steal throughout the book when she could have gotten support from friends. I understand she felt threatened by her husband and embarrassed by the situation but rI downloaded this one from the January First Reads on Amazon. None of the First Reads ever really catch my attention, plus it pisses me off that they’ll choose a children’s book over a romance, but I digress. This one sounded kind of interesting but in the end it was not for me.

Tabitha is a horrible person. She does nothing but lie and steal throughout the book when she could have gotten support from friends. I understand she felt threatened by her husband and embarrassed by the situation but really? She actually stole from a place that fed the hungry. She could have asked for help, even though she was there volunteering, but instead she chose to steal. Then stealing from the elderly? I don’t care if the lady wanted needy people to take it, or that she planned on paying it back, Tabitha was greedy in the end. She annoyed me!

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.Well, the title didn't lie....At first I was intrigued by the story of a woman being deserted by her husband, but it began to make less and less sense. I can't imagine anyone hiding such a thing for so long out of simple pride, especially when she's unable to properly feed and care for her children, yet she's depicted as an imperfect, but responsible parent. There were so many unbelievable coincidences, and this is the possibly the worst; an elderly woman with a strangely fading and sharp memoryWell, the title didn't lie....At first I was intrigued by the story of a woman being deserted by her husband, but it began to make less and less sense. I can't imagine anyone hiding such a thing for so long out of simple pride, especially when she's unable to properly feed and care for her children, yet she's depicted as an imperfect, but responsible parent. There were so many unbelievable coincidences, and this is the possibly the worst; an elderly woman with a strangely fading and sharp memory (as the plot requires, with the same first name as the main character's own mother), who keeps her nearby city apartment open with edible marijuana, and a literal jar of hundreds of dollars WITH a note to take it if you need some and hasn't been robbed blind or worse? Nora then keeps replenishing the money with the help of her (responsible) son, who doesn't seem to mind at all (?). I guess it never occurs to Toby that his elderly parent could be in danger from such a practice. Of course, that's the same guy that the main character has already met. I could go on and on, for example giving the homeless guy she had given some of her husband's clothes to, which ultimately led to her son's confusion, which then led to him rushing into a street to be run over. This novel was one eye roll after another. I simply had to finish it, because it became more and more ridiculous as it went on. Yikes!...more

I went into this book not knowing for sure what to expect, but thinking it was going to be depressing. After all, this woman's husband just leaves her high and dry and she has to fend for herself with no money and a veiled threat hanging over her head. However, I was pleasantly surprised with what was between the covers and I easily fell in love with the story.

There was a Jewish element to the story that I especially enjoyed, as it focuses on Tabitha planning for her son's Bar Mitzvah. I can deI went into this book not knowing for sure what to expect, but thinking it was going to be depressing. After all, this woman's husband just leaves her high and dry and she has to fend for herself with no money and a veiled threat hanging over her head. However, I was pleasantly surprised with what was between the covers and I easily fell in love with the story.

There was a Jewish element to the story that I especially enjoyed, as it focuses on Tabitha planning for her son's Bar Mitzvah. I can definitely relate to that part at the moment! I found it interesting that my son told me what he wanted to do for his mitzvah project and then I was reading along and Tabitha's son wanted to do something similar. (Another funny thing was that there's a lot of focus on University of Michigan and on Shabbat we went to a house where one of the kids goes to that school. What are the odds?!?)

I really liked the characters. Elizabeth LaBan mostly focuses on Tabitha, but she also gives us perspectives of some other characters from time to time. Nora was definitely eccentric and I loved her for that!

The only real concern I had was that time sped by too fast. Days would get skipped a lot when you were expecting something to happen on those days. Then she would go back and talk about them as something in the past. It didn't detract from my enjoyment, but it's something I kept noticing. There was also an element of predictability for one part, but I let that slide because the avid reader in me was able to pick up on that quickly. I would have preferred to not have any hints for this aspect of the story, but I also appreciated where it was leading and couldn't wait for Tabitha to figure everything out.

Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants a little something different with a few surprises tossed in. I even got emotional a few times, so have some tissues handy!

What would you do if your husband left after a disagreement, and just seemed to disappear? He is not answering your texts or your frantic telephone calls? Where is he? What is happening? After being so captivated and engrossed in “Not Perfect” by Elizabeth LaBan, these are many of the questions that I am left to think about. The author writes about the emotional pain and journey of Tabitha Brewer and her two children who seem to be abandoned. (emotionMy Review of “Not Perfect” by Elizabeth LaBan

What would you do if your husband left after a disagreement, and just seemed to disappear? He is not answering your texts or your frantic telephone calls? Where is he? What is happening? After being so captivated and engrossed in “Not Perfect” by Elizabeth LaBan, these are many of the questions that I am left to think about. The author writes about the emotional pain and journey of Tabitha Brewer and her two children who seem to be abandoned. (emotionally and physically)

The genres for this novel are Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and some mystery is thrown in. I appreciate the way the author tells the layers of the story going back for clues to see why this happened. The author describes the characters as complicated and complex, angry, upset, and determined. I also see some of the characters as being resourceful and courageous. For Tabitha Brewer, who has led what looks like a perfect life, this is embarrassing and humiliating. Tabitha doesn’t want anyone to know that she doesn’t have the money for food, soap, detergent and other common goods. She tries to do the best she can. Tabitha meets some colorful characters along the way as she struggles to try to do what she feels the best is for her family. Can she keep this secret forever?

All Tabitha can remember from the last letter that her husband left for her , he leaves a threatening comment, “I’ll tell them what you did”. Tabitha is not sure what he means or what she did.

Is anyone perfect? The blurb on the book says “a poignant and relatable look at the facades we create in the futile pursuit of perfection.”

I appreciate that the author discusses issues of homelessness, abandonment, health insurance, poverty, food banks, and emotional support. The author writes about the importance of family , friends, forgiveness, love, faith and hope. I would highly recommend this book for lovers of Women’s Fiction. I received an ARC of this book for my honest review....more

I wanted to like this book I really did but it took awhile for me to get through it because I kept starting and stopping it. I found it hard to like Tabitha even though I felt horrible for her and what her husband was putting her through. She's the type of mother I hope I never become no matter how hard of times I fall on. I felt like she was more worried about her reputation, what others thought of her and then hanging out with this new guy more so than she worried about her kids. I can't imagiI wanted to like this book I really did but it took awhile for me to get through it because I kept starting and stopping it. I found it hard to like Tabitha even though I felt horrible for her and what her husband was putting her through. She's the type of mother I hope I never become no matter how hard of times I fall on. I felt like she was more worried about her reputation, what others thought of her and then hanging out with this new guy more so than she worried about her kids. I can't imagine being a mom and not taking care of my kids health no matter how little money I had, especially when several people reached out to offer help. It just boggles my mind.

Then we finally find out what is going on with her husband and then I really want to throw the book at both of them. They deserved each other with both being so self-centered and caring more about what they were going through than what they were putting their kids through. It really was unbelievable and after dragging on and on and on the climax is over quickly and I found myself in disbelief that it ended so quickly. I felt like half the book could have been cut and I felt cheated at the end.

I honestly only kept reading in hopes that Tabitha would finally snap out of it and realize that she needed to start acting like an adult but sadly I didn't feel like she ever did. Not a favorite read by far....more

This heroine was just too stupid and selfish for me. After her husband leaves her and her children with no money or a way to support themselves instead of getting a job and trying to pick the pieces of her life back together, she instead decides to steal shit and keep it a secret.

Apparently there is some kind of threat hanging over her about why she can't tell anyone about her circumstances, but it appeared to be less about the threat and more about what other people would think of them. And alThis heroine was just too stupid and selfish for me. After her husband leaves her and her children with no money or a way to support themselves instead of getting a job and trying to pick the pieces of her life back together, she instead decides to steal shit and keep it a secret.

Apparently there is some kind of threat hanging over her about why she can't tell anyone about her circumstances, but it appeared to be less about the threat and more about what other people would think of them. And although curious about what exactly this threat was I wasn't interested enough to endure anymore of the book. Instead I just felt sorry her both her children who seem to have been abandoned by not just their father but their mother as well....more

I think this is supposed to be "heartwarming," but our protagonist is too stupid to be sympathetic. She makes bad decisions, refuses to analyze or introspect. she refuses to ask for or get help, to the detriment of her children's health and her relationships with everyone. The people who continue to help her despite her continuing to refuse advice or to rethink her bad decisions aren't realistic either.

I received a free ARC of this book from Amazon Publishing and Lake Union Authors for an honest review. What do you do when you wake up and your husband is gone? He has not just disappeared but left you a cryptic threatening note, two children to take care of and no money. This is what the protagonist Tabitha is faced with. Rather than tell her friends and children what her situation is Tabitha starts to steal food etc from random places whenever she can to feed the family. I am a bit conflictedI received a free ARC of this book from Amazon Publishing and Lake Union Authors for an honest review. What do you do when you wake up and your husband is gone? He has not just disappeared but left you a cryptic threatening note, two children to take care of and no money. This is what the protagonist Tabitha is faced with. Rather than tell her friends and children what her situation is Tabitha starts to steal food etc from random places whenever she can to feed the family. I am a bit conflicted with this book. I enjoyed the book overall and the writing was great but I had some problems with the characters, especially Tabitha. I think she should have spent more time actually looking for a job rather than thinking of ways to steal odd bits of food. I was also uncomfortable with her relationship with Nora. I found Tabitha’s children were well written, especially in regards to their behaviour following the disappearance of their father and their mother’s flightiness. The disappearance of Stuart and his threatening note certainly kept me intrigued. When we do finally meet Stuart I found his story compelling but he definitely is a disappointment as a father and husband. I found his character, while flawed, to be honest in his issues. Would definitely like to read more from this author....more

This is not a perfect book, but I really enjoyed it anyway. I think it took took way too long to find out when and why Stuart left his family. It wasn't really mysterious ss it was annoying. Tabitha was rather shallow and way too concerned with appearances; too casual about things like medical appointments and tests, and where the children were, what they were doing, and where the next meal was coming from. Then she blows a huge amount of her remainingNot a perfect book, but pretty darned good!

This is not a perfect book, but I really enjoyed it anyway. I think it took took way too long to find out when and why Stuart left his family. It wasn't really mysterious ss it was annoying. Tabitha was rather shallow and way too concerned with appearances; too casual about things like medical appointments and tests, and where the children were, what they were doing, and where the next meal was coming from. Then she blows a huge amount of her remaining credit balance on a ridiculously overpriced pizza meal! Not really something a responsible adult would be likely to do. Stewart is not a sympathetic character at all, so why she married him at all is the biggest mystery to me, and that is never fully explained or explored. However, that being said, I think it was still a fairly good read. The situation of abandonment is real, and it is usually the kids who suffer the most, as is the case here. If you like drama, mystery, and romance, you might enjoy this book....more

This book was fine - light reading for me to read when I'm a little bit sick and not quite ready to read anything with more heft. The author is from Philadelphia and I really enjoy all the local flair in her novels.

This one is about a single Mom of two living in a nice part of town in the months after her husband mysteriously leaves her and the kids. She doesn't want to tell anybody and slowly her resources have dwindled to the point where she's stealing packets of butter and sugar from restaurThis book was fine - light reading for me to read when I'm a little bit sick and not quite ready to read anything with more heft. The author is from Philadelphia and I really enjoy all the local flair in her novels.

This one is about a single Mom of two living in a nice part of town in the months after her husband mysteriously leaves her and the kids. She doesn't want to tell anybody and slowly her resources have dwindled to the point where she's stealing packets of butter and sugar from restaurants and smuggling happy hour food out of bars to feed her kids for dinner.

I mostly enjoyed the novel but was completely unsatisfied with the underlying mystery....more

From the publisher: Tabitha Brewer wakes up one morning to find her husband gone, leaving her no way to support herself and their two children, never mind their upscale Philadelphia lifestyle. She’d confess her situation to her friends—if it wasn’t for those dreadful words of warning in his goodbye note: “I’ll tell them what you did.” Instead, she does her best to keep up appearances, even as monthsNot Perfect, Elizabeth LaBan, Lake Union Publishing, 2018

This book was a Kindle First from Amazon.

From the publisher: Tabitha Brewer wakes up one morning to find her husband gone, leaving her no way to support herself and their two children, never mind their upscale Philadelphia lifestyle. She’d confess her situation to her friends—if it wasn’t for those dreadful words of warning in his goodbye note: “I’ll tell them what you did.” Instead, she does her best to keep up appearances, even as months pass and she can barely put food on the table—much less replace a light bulb. While she looks for a job, she lives in fear that someone will see her stuffing toilet paper into her handbag or pinching basil from a neighbor’s window box. Soon, blindsided by catastrophe, surprised by romance, and stunned by the kindness of a stranger, Tabitha realizes she can’t keep her secrets forever. Sooner or later, someone is bound to figure out that her life is far from perfect.

Tabitha is an interesting character. She is both strong and resourceful but at the same time a bit weak. Determined not to let on to anyone that her husband has abandoned her (because she’s not actually sure he has) she does not seek help from friends or social service agencies. She doesn’t even tell her children she thinks he is gone – only that he is on an extended business trip. She toughs it out when the money is gone, grabbing food from various opportunistic sources for her children, and begins applying for jobs. As one reviewer I read suggested, we don’t know whether Tabitha has actually ever held down a job or if she was (likely) a stay at home mom. By the way the apartment is described in a doorman building, it would appear that the husband made a good salary and she has never had to do so. Tabitha doesn’t confront the husband; but this is primarily because he slinked off in the middle of the night when everyone is sleeping and doesn’t answer his phone when she calls. She is too afraid to report him missing to the police and too afraid to ask for help from friends by admitting the situation. When life starts to truly fall apart, she begins to step up.

What I liked about the book: I liked and was frustrated by Tabitha at the same time. I felt she could have taken the bull by the horns and “done” something to help her family. But she seemed paralyzed by her fear of the “I know what you did” commentary from her husband. She is a bit neurotic – with all the lists and notes – and disorganized. I liked that we learn about what happened in the relationship as well as the various consequences of everyone’s actions at the same time as Tabitha.

What I didn’t like about the book: Having a little more backstory on Tabitha would have been good. At the end we learn that the husband “settled” in marrying her instead of someone else, thinking it would turn out okay. It didn’t. I thought Fern’s mystery illness/knee injury seemed strange and not plausible.

Would I recommend? Perhaps – the way the book progressed gave the characters a lot of lessons learned. If I reveal them here, it would be a spoiler. Definitely not my favorite book, but it was compelling enough for me to read it to the end to find out what happened....more

If the story had been written from the point of view of more than one character, perhaps one of those where alternate chapters are from different voices, I think it would have been a good story ... but as it was, I found it simply ridiculous.

We follow Tabitha, a mother of two who has been abandoned by her husband and who seems more interested in her own pity than in looking after the children or behaving in a rational way. If the timescale was set over a week or two, her actions would be believIf the story had been written from the point of view of more than one character, perhaps one of those where alternate chapters are from different voices, I think it would have been a good story ... but as it was, I found it simply ridiculous.

We follow Tabitha, a mother of two who has been abandoned by her husband and who seems more interested in her own pity than in looking after the children or behaving in a rational way. If the timescale was set over a week or two, her actions would be believable as many people do seem to cease thinking rationally after a crisis but this story is set over many weeks and a mother who is more interested in a secret romp with a man she barely knows than in the fact that her daughter has a severe leg injury, or the fact that her son hasn't eaten properly for weeks isn't one I'd wish to know!

I was pleased that we did get a partial revelation in the end as to what happened with the ex-husband but overall, not a book for me & I regret wasting money on it....more

A slow read as we navigate the difficulties of Tabitha’s life. When Tabitha’s husband disappears leaving her no money, no job and two kids to care for, she falls into near homelessness. But even in her time of struggles, when there wasn’t enough food for her family or light bulbs to light her fancy apartment, Tabitha continued to think of others including, donating her husband’s clothes and over tipping workers in jewelry.

Not Perfect highlighted the silent struggles many strangers, or even frieA slow read as we navigate the difficulties of Tabitha’s life. When Tabitha’s husband disappears leaving her no money, no job and two kids to care for, she falls into near homelessness. But even in her time of struggles, when there wasn’t enough food for her family or light bulbs to light her fancy apartment, Tabitha continued to think of others including, donating her husband’s clothes and over tipping workers in jewelry.

Not Perfect highlighted the silent struggles many strangers, or even friends, are dealing with daily. Many are too embarrassed to ask for help, while others yet have no one to ask help from, this book lit a fire inside me to use my own good fortune to help those down on their luck. ...more

I found this read on Amazon when it was free and I am new to Elizabeth's book, so I was super excited to jump in and see where she would take me. For me it was a quick read and I really did enjoy Elizabeth's writing style. Such great characters. I see a lot of folks are not impressed by this read, it was different style, unique thoughts, but who says a book has to be set whatever way, it was might be very creative, different, not the normal a little out there and why not? is that not what a creaI found this read on Amazon when it was free and I am new to Elizabeth's book, so I was super excited to jump in and see where she would take me. For me it was a quick read and I really did enjoy Elizabeth's writing style. Such great characters. I see a lot of folks are not impressed by this read, it was different style, unique thoughts, but who says a book has to be set whatever way, it was might be very creative, different, not the normal a little out there and why not? is that not what a creative license is about? right? it is normal that someone would do this, count things? not that I know of ...but to each his/her own, right?! I found it interesting and easy to read. ( ;...more

This book was definitely not what I thought it was going to be when I started it. I kept thinking I would stop but I began to be pulled into the story more and more. And I really enjoyed it. The husband was a terrible person and I don't think anything he did was justified. I can't believe a father would treat his children that way. He knew his wife didn't work and he put her in such a terrible situation. It's not surprising that she did the things she did. It was a flawed storyNot what I thought

This book was definitely not what I thought it was going to be when I started it. I kept thinking I would stop but I began to be pulled into the story more and more. And I really enjoyed it. The husband was a terrible person and I don't think anything he did was justified. I can't believe a father would treat his children that way. He knew his wife didn't work and he put her in such a terrible situation. It's not surprising that she did the things she did. It was a flawed story about flawed people but in the end a really enjoyable book. ...more

I really, really, really wanted to love this book; however, as I read it, I just never could connect with Tabitha. How could there be NO ONE that she could turn to, ask for help, confide in? The premise of the story is great but the lack of character development left me wanting more.

“Tabitha Brewer listened for footsteps before pulling the small notebook out of the junk drawer. She leafed through the pages, seeing that each day had a slightly longer”
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“Tabitha nodded, like she was talking to Holly directly. When she got Fern out of the tub, into fresh pajamas, and watching television, she gave her a big glass of ice water, which Fern happily sipped. All was well for about two hours, until Levi didn’t come home.”
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